Sherdog Prospect Watch: Yuri Villefort

When fans think of superstars from other sports, larger-than-life
figures spring to mind. Yuri
Villefort wants to be that kind of torch bearer for mixed
martial arts.

“My goal is to be like the Pele or Muhammad Ali of MMA,” he
said.

Villefort, who holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, is
preparing for an upcoming fight in May in South Florida. Unbeaten
in six professional outings, he has gone the distance only once.
Villefort last appeared at an Action
Fight League in June, when he submitted Jason
Fitzhugh with a second-round armbar at the Seminole Hard Rock
Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

In March, Villefort celebrated his 20th birthday. He cautioned
future foes not to let his age fool them.

“I see people my age, and guys don’t know what to do,” he said,
“but fighting has taught me what I want in my life.”

Born in Brasilia, Brazil, he was spoon fed martial arts. At age 5,
he began studying judo with his brother, Marcus, and those lessons
remain with him more than a decade later.

“I did it until I was 12,” he said. “For kids, judo is the best
because it teaches self-respect and self-defense.”

Villefort gravitated naturally to combat sports competition. His
father, BJJ black belt Francisco
Silva, was a jiu-jitsu legend, reportedly winning 300 fights.
Villefort, who fights at 170 pounds, never had the chance to see
his father compete, as he retired at 40.

“I saw pictures of my dad fighting,” he said. “They were black and
white pictures. The people of his generation have a lot of
stories.”

Villefort briefly ventured into soccer before moving to Rio de
Janeiro to begin BJJ training at
Brazilian Top Team. There, he and his brothers trained for a
time alongside former WEC
middleweight champion Paulo Filho and
the Nogueira brothers, Antonio Rodrigo and Antonio Rogerio.
Villefort competed in amateur BJJ and boxing as a teen.

Jorge
Santiago file photo

Villefort spars with Santiago and “JZ.”

Opportunity knocked when his brother, Danillo
Villefort, was invited by Rafael Dias to
train at
American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla. -- a school headed by
Ricardo
Liborio. Invited by his brother to join him, Villefort packed
his bags at 16 and left for Florida. He spent roughly four years at
ATT before parting ways with the gym in March. The split, according
to Villefort, was amicable.

“I wasn’t happy over there,” he said. “I grew up there. I love
everyone. I don’t have problems with anyone. It’s kind of like I
just got my own wings and flew like a bird.”

Now, he, his brother and other fighters rent a warehouse in nearby
Boca Raton, Fla., and train on their own.

“We don’t have a team. It’s just us,” Villefort said. “We pay to
use the facility. We don’t fight for anyone. The sport is changing.
The teams are getting too big.”

“I believe that the sport is going to be like boxing, where you
rent a facility, train for a couple weeks and then you fight,”
Villefort said. “It’s hard to train with a big group of people. I
believe that [this] is the future. The focus on the training
depends on you.”

At the start of his fighting career, he pushed back against
stronger and more experienced opponents with sheer talent and will.
Those challenges have shaped him into one of the sport’s most
promising prospects in any weight class.

“All my fights have been against guys that were stronger than me,”
Villefort said. “I fight guys who are in their late 20s and 30s.
I’m 15 times stronger than I was, so I can defend if someone wants
to take me down.”

“

We don’t fight for
anyone. The sport
is changing. The
teams are getting
too big.

”

-- Villefort on his
“team.”

Villefort follows a rigorous training schedule six
days a week. The 20-year-old prospect trains twice a day on Mondays
and Wednesdays and three times a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He
also adheres to a strict diet.

“You are what you eat, so I watch my food,” Villefort said. “I’m
restrictive with my foods.”

Confident in both his striking and submission grappling, Villefort
has focused much of his effort on improving his wrestling. In a
division populated by accomplished wrestlers, it seems a wise
decision.

“In my division,” Villefort said, “you have to know wrestling.”

Backed by hard work and considerable talent, Villefort only sees
more success in his future. He wants to reach the pinnacle of MMA
and compete in the UFC: “I hope to one day fight with the
best.”